Easy-Light Charcoal Assembly

ABSTRACT

A pre-packaged assembly of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes is provided. The assembly includes a conical sidewall and a base portion attached to the conical sidewall cooperating with the conical sidewall to form a conical volume. A plurality of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes are disposed within the conical volume. At least one venting structure is disposed to allow airflow through the assembly.

BACKGROUND

Grilling foods outdoors is synonymous with fun and warm weather. Grilling allows foods to be cooked in different ways than can be achieved in an oven or on a stove. Moreover, while the backyard barbeque is a relatively ubiquitous event, grilling is popular in a variety of venues such as camping, tailgating, etc. Essentially, wherever people gather to spend time and eat food, grilling is a popular method by which to prepare such food.

There are two common ways in which grilling foods is accomplished. The first is by application of a fuel, such as propane, through a burner system. Propane-based grills and grilling systems are relatively easy to operate in that the source of propane can be engaged and a source of ignition provided and the grill is substantially ready to cook food. The other primary form of grilling uses charcoal briquettes. While more time and preparation is required for the use of charcoal briquettes, some believe that the taste of charcoal-grilled food is superior to that of food prepared over a “gas” grill.

Typically, charcoal-grilling requires the operator to arrange the charcoal briquettes in a pyramid, cone, or other suitable structure and then apply charcoal-lighter fluid to the arranged briquettes. Subsequently, the pyramid or cone of briquettes is ignited using a match or other suitable device and the briquettes will burn until they are relatively uniform coals suitable for cooking food. Once the coals are ready, they are generally arranged in a bed to provide uniform heat for cooking.

One recent innovation, for charcoal-based grilling is the provision of charcoal briquettes that are already infused with charcoal lighting fluid, or some other suitable accelerant. Moreover, these accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes can be purchased in a package, the outside of which is simply lit. As the package burns, the flame transfers to the accelerant-infused briquettes inside.

Prepackaged quantities of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes provide a number of advantages to users thereof. First, the user need not specifically purchase a quantity of charcoal-lighter fluid, or any other device for igniting the charcoal briquettes, such as a charcoal chimney Thus, the user need only purchase the package of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes. This also reduces the number of items the user must manage, which is particularly helpful for camping or other excursions.

Commercially-available packages of accelerant-infused charcoal are not without their limitations, however. Specifically, the package is generally in the form of a bag that is placed on its side and ignited from one end. This causes two potential problems. The first problem is that the arrangement of the briquettes is basically the random arrangement of the charcoal briquettes inside the bag when it is placed on its side. Thus, as the bag burns away, the burning briquettes are not in an optimal orientation to further burn effectively to coals. The second problem is that by requiring the outside of the package to be lit, the entire process is subject to environmental conditions. For example, if the weather is windy or raining, it may be difficult to cause a match to light the outside of the package.

Another limitation of current commercially-available packages of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes is that the package itself generally includes a seal. Since the accelerant is generally formed of a volatile organic compound, such as a mixture of kerosene and naphtha, it is important to create an effective seal such that the accelerant does not evaporate away. However, providing such seal within the bag itself may affect the combustion of such bag. Such effects of combustion can be twofold. First, the bag may not light quickly enough such that all briquettes are ignited at substantially the same time thus ensuring that all briquettes reach their “coal” phase at substantially the same time. Second, the combustion of the bag material itself, with the sealing layer therein, may cause the bag material to form embers that can become airborne as the bag combusts. Such burning embers may float out of the burning charcoal/bag assembly and could potentially ignite areas nearby.

SUMMARY

A pre-packaged assembly of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes is provided. The assembly includes a conical sidewall and a base portion attached to the conical sidewall cooperating with the conical sidewall to form a conical volume. A plurality of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes are disposed within the conical volume. At least one venting structure is disposed to allow airflow through the assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an easy-lighting charcoal assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an easy-lighting charcoal assembly receiving a source of ignition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing an easy-lighting charcoal assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method of using an easy-lighting charcoal assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a number of easy-lighting charcoal assemblies disposed within a retail packaging box, as would be provided to a retailer, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention generally provide an easy-lighting charcoal assembly for use with pillow-type instant light (e.g. accelerant-infused) barbeque charcoal. Embodiments described herein generally employ a package that maintains the pillow-type instant light charcoal in a conical arrangement. Accordingly, as the packaging burns away, the charcoal retains the highly-desirable conical arrangement such that the charcoal burns more effectively. Additionally, instead of igniting the outside of the charcoal assembly, a match, or other suitable source of ignition, is inserted into a top vent thereof. In this way, ignition of the assembly is easier in environmentally-challenging situations, such as high wind and/or moisture.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a vented, easy-lighting charcoal assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Assembly 100 generally includes a conical sidewall 102 and base portion 104 that cooperate to enclose a conical volume 106 therein. A plurality of pillow-type instant light charcoal briquettes 108 are disposed within conical volume 106. Each of briquettes 108 is infused with an accelerant, such as charcoal lighter fluid. An examples of accelerant-infused charcoal includes that sold under the trade designation Match Light® available from Kingsford Products Company of Oakland, Calif.

As shown in FIG. 1, sidewall 102 includes a number of perforations 110 that allow a user thereof to remove vents 112 prior to ignition. The provision of vents 112 is important in that it allows air to flow into vents 112 through the plurality of accelerant-infused briquettes 108, and out through top vent 114, which is shown folded over in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, conical sidewall 102 is formed from a flat portion of paper stock. While any suitable paper stock may be used, it has been found that colored paper stock is preferable. The flat portion is then arranged into the conical shape and ends are attached together forming seam 116. Any suitable mechanical arrangement or adhesive can be used to adhere or otherwise affix the ends together to form seam 116. In one embodiment, double-sided tape is used and is dispensed along one edge and then attached to the other edge.

Embodiments of the present invention can also include providing one or more external features, such as a book 118 of matches attached to or otherwise positioned on the external surface of sidewall 102. Such external features can be held in place by adhesive, or simply by the force applied by external packaging film 120. External packaging film 120 is, in one embodiment, clear. However, it is also contemplated that external packaging 120 may be opaque, or translucent, and may include product labeling, etc. In one embodiment, external packaging 120 is formed of a substantially clear shrink wrap layer that is applied about the entire external surface of the conical sidewall 102 and base 104. Then, heat is applied to the shrink wrap layer such that it substantially conforms to the external surfaces. Further still, packaging 120 is designed to form a vapor-tight seal such that accelerant of the accelerant-infused briquettes does not evaporate.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of ignition of an easy-lighting accelerant-infused charcoal assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 bears many similarities to FIG. 1 and like components are numbered similarly. As shown in FIG. 2, the packaging 120 has been removed and the user has used the perforations 110 to create vents 112 by removing the material that was disposed therein. Additionally, top vent 114 has been opened by unfolding the previously-folded top portion. This creates an aperture 122 into which a lit match 124 is deposited as indicated by arrow 126. In this way, the initial ignition of assembly 100 is not typically with ignition of a sidewall of the assembly, but instead is direct ignition from lit match 124 to one of the accelerant-infused briquettes 108. As the flame ignites briquettes 108, it is fed by oxygen flowing into vents 112 and out of top vent 114. Further still, as the flame spreads, sidewall 102 and baseplate 104 will burn away leaving just the accelerant-infused briquettes 108 burning in the conical arrangement that originally conformed to the inside volume 106.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing an assembly of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Method 200 begins at block 202 where a sheet of paper stock or card stock is cut into a shape that will ultimately form sidewall 102. This cut can be done using a die as indicated at block 204, or other suitable methods 206. Additionally, while the perimeter of sidewall 102 is cut, it is also preferred that the perforations 110, which facilitate removal of vents 112 also be cut. However, embodiments can be practiced where that is a separate operation. Next, at block 208, the sidewall is formed into a cone. This can be done in free space, or by arranging the flat-cut portion from block 202 about a cone form. When formed into a cone, opposite ends are adhered together using tape, 210 or another suitable adhesive 212. Further still, non-adhesive methods, such as mechanical attachment or other suitable methods 214 can also be used to attach the two ends. Next, at block 216, the top vent is folded over into the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 such that materials cannot exit vent 114. Next, at block 218 the conical portion is inverted, or otherwise disposed such that the point or narrow portion is below the wider portion and a selected amount of accelerant-infused briquettes are placed therein. At block 220, the conical volume is sealed by attaching a base, such as base 104, to conical sidewall 102. In one embodiment, base 104 can be formed of a paper plate, or other suitable combustible structure. Base 104 is subsequently sealed to conical sidewall 102 thereby forming a substantially sealed internal conical volume 106. Next, at block 222, packaging material is applied to the external surface of the assembly. In one embodiment, the packaging material is provided in the form of a substantially transparent, pre-formed shrink film which is applied to the assembly and then heated in order to shrink and seal over the entire assembly. As indicated at block 224, one or more external features, such as matches 226 or other features or devices 228 can be provided on the external sidewall 102 and/or base 104 prior to packaging. Further still, custom branding 230 can be applied prior to packaging as well.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method of using an assembly of accelerant-infused charcoal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Method 300 begins at block 302 where an external sealing film or packaging of the assembly is removed. Next, at block 304, one or more side vents, such as vents 112 are opened or otherwise removed. Next, at block 306, the entire assembly is placed in a grill or suitable fire pit. Finally, at block 308, a top vent, such as vent 114 of the assembly is opened. This exposes an aperture or other suitable structure for receiving a source of ignition, such as lit match 124. Then, at block 310, a lit match or other source of flame is inserted into top vent 114 thereby igniting the contents inside.

As can be appreciated, embodiments of the present invention generally provide relatively easy ignition of accelerant-infused charcoal. Additionally, since the conical volume 106 is generally formed by the size of sidewall 102 and base 104, volume 106 is controllable. This allows a consistent amount of charcoal to be provided based upon the size of the sidewall and base 104. While embodiments have been described with respect to a single assembly, it is expressly contemplated that various sizes may be provided for different grilling applications. For example, a small prepackaged assembly may indicate that it is suitable for 150 or less square inches of grilling space, while a medium size may indicate that it is suitable for 150 to 250 square inches of grilling space. Further still, a large size may indicate that it is suitable for 250 to 500 square inches of grilling space. Additionally, as can be appreciated, embodiments described herein generally provide the briquettes in a pre-stacked arrangement. Accordingly, the user need not touch the briquettes in order to form the highly advantageous conical arrangement. As set forth above, the entire assembly can be lit in relatively windy or wet conditions since the match is applied directly to the accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes within the relatively sheltered conical volume 106. This allows the briquettes to light quickly with respect to each other such that they burn together and are ready at a relatively consistent time. Further still, using paper stock, and the materials and techniques described herein, there is little, if any, residue of the packaging material, and as the packaging burns it generally does not cause floating embers. Prototypes that were tested provided charcoal that was ready to spread in eight minutes once the match had been inserted into the top vent.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a number of packages of accelerant-infused charcoal in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention disposed within a shipping container, such as a box as would be provided to a retailer. Box 400 is shown containing nine assemblies that have their base down, as indicated at reference numeral 402. Additionally, at least some additional assemblies 404 can be shipped in box 400 in an inverted orientation in order to maximize or otherwise increase efficiency of shipping. In such instances, a front portion of assembly 402 may have branding indicia 408 that is essentially right side up. While a back portion thereof may have branding information that is upside down. Then, when a number of upside down assemblies 404 are set in box 400, they can simply be rotated 180 degrees such that branding information is right side up for consumers as they view assemblies 408 and 404 within box 400 at a retailer. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pre-packaged assembly of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes comprising: a conical sidewall; a base portion attached to the conical sidewall cooperating with the conical sidewall to form a conical volume; a plurality of accelerant-infused charcoal briquettes disposed within the conical volume; at least one venting structure disposed to allow airflow through the assembly. 